


Family and Friends

by Omorka



Category: The Incredibles (2004)
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-02
Updated: 2010-05-02
Packaged: 2017-10-09 06:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omorka/pseuds/Omorka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Parr kids really shouldn't be left alone at an airport, even if Elastigirl knows the owners.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family and Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the prompt "the tarmac" at Story_Lottery over on LJ.

A spray of water, close enough to a wake as made no odds, marked the path of Dash's frantic circling. Violet dodged the splash for the second time, scowling. "Calm down," she growled. "You don't want to give Jack-Jack ideas."

The preschooler holding her hand shook his head. "No running," he said. "Too hot."

Dash came back around the long loop of the oval path he was pacing at just under supersonic speed and braced both feet, skidding to a long stop on the steaming asphalt and not incidentally raising a plume of water nearly head-high. He slid past his siblings at nearly half his original speed, soaking them both.

"Aw, quit it!" whined Jack-Jack, wiping the remnants of the recent rain out of his eyes.

Violet's eyes widened as she followed Dash's trajectory. "Slow down; don't hit the fence!"

Dash turned to face his direction of travel, realizing that he was hydroplaning and not going to be able to stop before he slid off the apron. His arms windmilled as he tried to get his feet back under him.

A long loop of arm snagged him, slowing his rush towards the chain-link fence; he grabbed at it, tripped, and tumbled headlong into the strip of grass between the tarmac and the edge of the little airport's property. The arm loosed its grip, then grabbed his shoulder and hauled him upright again.

"What are you doing? Someone could see you," his mother chided as she caught up with her wrist.

Dash brushed grass seeds and wet dirt from his jeans. "You said this airport was privately owned," he complained.

"It is, but it has neighbors." She pointed at a _Private Property - No Trespassing - No Unauthorized Hunting_ sign nailed to a tree just past the fence. "Honestly, can't I leave you three alone for even a minute?"

"No," Jack-Jack said, tracing circles on the asphalt with the toe of his shoe.

Helen laughed. "Well, at least you're honest. Come on; they've got the plane ready for us."

Dash perked back up. "So, it is a real superhero plane? Does it turn invisible and have turbo boosts?"

"With you two on it, it might at that." Helen scooped Jack-Jack up. "Oof. You're getting heavy, big boy."

"Daddy can still pick me up," her youngest said, grinning.

"Daddy can pick up the whole house," Violet sighed. Jack nodded and giggled, delighted that someone had gotten his joke.

Dash looked worried for a second. "Um, is Dad in trouble? Is that why we're suddenly getting a brand-new government-issued plane to go meet him?"

Helen gave him a sharp look as she started walking. "This isn't a rescue mission, if that's what you mean." Her eyes traced across the ramp as they came around the corner of the terminal building. "As for whether he's in trouble or not - apparently the situation is more complicated than they initially realized."

"So we're back-up?" Dash's eyes sparkled in sudden interest.

"I guess you could think of it that way." Helen hoisted Jack-Jack further up onto her shoulder. "I'm hoping we're just going to give him a ride home, that a private plane won't draw too much attention where a U.S. government chopper would. But," she continued, "we might have to do a fast extraction if things get hot."

"We can do that," Dash said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Quietly," Helen added. "We don't want any international incidents, here."

"It's okay, no one will see us," Jack-Jack assured her, reaching for Violet.

"You going to help with that?" Violet reached over and let her little brother climb onto her shoulders, piggyback.

"Yeah," he replied, and winked out. One of his many talents was replicating the powers of whoever he was touching at the time. Another was amplifying them. Their dad had made a joke about how their mom had looked when she was pregnant the third time when they discovered that one, which had caused much eye-rolling on the part of the teens.

"Stop that," Helen scolded. "There's our plane, kids."

It was small and sleek, with twin jets and just enough space for a few passengers. A pair of simple red stripes decorated each side; the last traces of the rain clung in droplets on the windscreen. Waving, one of the airport's jumpsuit-clad employees detached the fueling hose and grinned at them.

Helen waved back. "Thanks, Morrie. I really appreciate you guys taking care of her."

"No problem," he said, one hand touching the plane's aluminum skin gently. "I know the rest of the country has done its best to forget, but I haven't, and neither has the rest of the club."

"Club?" asked Dash, looking back at his mother. Violet shushed him.

"It wasn't that big a deal," Helen replied, looking faintly embarrassed.

"Nonsense. Saved our business. Probably saved Jim's life." The grey-haired fellow hefted the hose back into its place on the fuel truck. "It's an honor to be part of your doing the same for someone else, now."

Helen's cheeks pinked. Dash's eyes darted back and forth from her face to Morrie's. Violet's brows drew together. Finally, Helen cleared her throat. "That's . . . really sweet of you, Morrie."

He smiled like he had a secret. "Your kids look great. You're proud of them, aren't you?"

"Every day," she said, grateful for the change of subject.

"Keep making us proud, then," he finished, and swung up into the driver's seat of the truck.

Violet watched as the refueling vehicle rumbled away across the pavement. "Old flame?" she asked, setting Jack-Jack back down.

"Something like that," Helen sighed. "President of my old fan club."

"I like yours better than Dad's," Violet grinned.

Dash blinked too fast to see. "But - what was that about the business?"

"He was an adult when he organized the club, unlike Buddy." Helen opened the side hatch of the plane. "One of my first cases was catching a supervillain at an airplane hangar. He called himself the Mad Miner - had a plot to plant mines on airplane runways and disrupt air traffic worldwide." Her eyes unfocused slightly, remembering. "He wasn't too hard to nab, although we did lose a baggage cart in the process. Anyway, Morrie was a small-time cargo pilot back then, and one of the planes we saved was his." She lowered the ladder. "Now he owns the hangar over there, and he has a half-share in the management of the airport."

"Cool," Dash said, scrambling up into the passenger compartment.

Violet followed him. "He's had a crush on you ever since, right?"

"Well, he did back then." Helen tucked her daughter's hair back. "I'm sure he's long since grown out of it."

"Maybe." Violet helped Jack-Jack up, then followed. "You think we'll have fan clubs like that? I'm not sure I can handle that kind of pressure."

"I want my own fan club, with secret decoder rings and our own handshake," Dash's voice declared from inside the plane.

Helen chuckled. "Between your father and me, you've already got one. Now, let's make sure he can get home in time for dinner." She stretched one leg up into the plane, eased herself in, and swung the ladder back into place with the other, all in one fluid move.

"Can we get pizza later?" asked Jack-Jack, kicking the seat in front of him as Violet and Dash buckled him in.

"Sounds good to me," Helen said with a smile as she slid into the pilot's seat. The engines rumbled to life on either side of them.


End file.
